First Bond
by hopper18
Summary: Doom's first meeting with Dain
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Deltora Quest**

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><p><em>"What are you doing here?"<em>

Doom was on his way to the town when he saw a small child lying in the corner of the street. He looked very skinny and couldn't be any older than seven. His clothes were ripped and he was covered in bruises and cut. He had a troubled look on his face and it seemed like he had just fallen into an uneasy sleep.

The little boy woke up with a start at Doom's words. He quickly grabbed the small knife beside him and pointed it at the stranger, his hands trembling.

_**"Who are you!"**_ shouted the boy.

_"I'm Doom"_ said Doom, a bit surprised by the kid's behavior.

_**"What do you want?"**_

_"Calm down! I was just asking why were you sleeping on the road, that all"_

The boy lowered his knife a little, but he was still gazing at Doom with his bright, purple eyes. They were full of doubt.

_"Do you have a house?"_ asked Doom

The boy shook his head. Actually he still had a house, but it's meaningless to return to that place now.

_"So you don't have any place to go?"_

The child didn't answer.

Doom looked at him with pity. This child would probably die if he was left like this. And Doom was also reminded of himself: alone, with no one to turn to. The only reason he survived was because of the real Doom's help. That man gave him a life, gave him a name. Maybe now was his turn to help someone else.

_"What's your name?"_ Doom asked

_"Dain"_

_"Okay then. Dain, would you like to come with me?"_

The boy stared at Doom with disbelief. Then he said, in a small, hopeful voice.

_"Come with you?"_

_"Not if you don't want to"_

Dain immediately stood up and followed Doom. But they had barely walked a hundred steps when he tugged at Doom's sleeve.

_"My leg hurt. I can't go on foot"_ said Dain

Doom sighed. "Kids are so troublesome" he told himself. He was going to say no, but changed his mind when he looked down and saw a deep, half-healed wound above the boy's ankle.

_"Fine, I'll carry you"_

As Dain put his arms around Doom's neck, Doom suddenly remembered something. Long ago, someone used to cling on to him like this, someone who was just as small as Dain was. It was dim, but he could recall feeling warm and joyful, something he hadn't experienced ever since he escaped from the Shadow land.

And they keep on going. Doom thought it was a bit strange that the boy, who was so cautious at first, came to trust him so fast. But perhaps Dain was just so desperate to find some support after having to struggle by himself, that all.

_"Where are your parents, Dain?"_

Dain started shaking and burst into tear. He let out all the fear, anguish, all the emotion he had been bottled up for days, ever since those Grey Guard barge into his house and took away those whom he loved most. Normally Doom would have told him to stop, but just for this one time he remained silent and allow the boy to cry his heart out.

Doom set off with Dain on his back. He didn't know exactly where he would go and what he would do next. But at least now he wasn't alone anymore.

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><p><strong>Is this too short? I'm not good at writing long story:(<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Doom was entering the market area, heading straight for the place where he arranged to meet with his informant. Being the leader of the newly formed Resistance, he needed to keep himself as well informed about the current situation as possible. Starting an organization, especially an illegal one is extremely hard. Recruiting members by far prove to be the most problematic. He couldn't exactly hand out leaflet and randomly ask everyone on the street to help defeat the Shadow Lord, could he? Of course not. Most of his last few months were spent on this matter without producing much result, and it didn't help that Grey Guards were swarming all over most cities. On top of that, he didn't have his memories from before, which meant he had absolutely no one he could count on. Well, he had managed to gather a handful at least, all of whom came from some villages that had been destroyed and were forced to live as fugitives. Given his situation, that had to count for something. For the moment, he had his men scattered throughout the land to gather information to prepare for their next move. And now was time for one of his scheduled meeting with one of them. The place changed every time for security reason, and each and every one of those times was carefully planned to avoid the possibility of something going wrong.

That was it. He couldn't risk these meetings going awry. Which is why he wondered, as he glanced over his shoulder, what on earth made him agreed to take Dain along? The boy in question was currently tagging a few steps behind him, walking with an air of great anxiety. This was the first time Doom let the boy go with him, instead of dropping him at some inn with instruction of staying there and wait for him. A little boy definitely didn't seem fit for these kinds of things. And so, Doom spent the good part of his trip convincing himself that Dain would had to get used to this sooner or later and he brought the boy out of his own desire to train Dain as his assistant, and DEFINITELY NOT because he gave into the boy's pleas to follow him. _Oh well,_ Doom heaved a sigh, _that hardly matters at this point, does it?_

They finally reached their destination. It was a little store with hardly anything to sell, and it was marked with the Resistance symbol that Doom had invented for communication purpose. The shopkeeper greeted him with a smile and lead him into the shop as a customer, then after some brief exchanges, he and Dain were lead into a small room at the back. His informant was already waiting there. He gave Dain a curious look and after a nod of confirmation from Doom, they sat down to business. From the report, it looked like things weren't going well for them. Security had been tightened-as if it wasn't hard enough to operate as it was- and the number of raids was increasing. Houses were burned down and those living in them captured, forced to work as slaves and a good deal of them was sent to the Shadow arena to fight for amusement. People lived in fear everyday, not knowing when it would be their turn. He needed to find a way to strengthen the Resistance force. They were badly in need of equipment supply and it would be bad if he didn't find any solution soon. He needed more people, but knowing who to trust was a challenge in and of itself.

A slight tug on his arm made Doom look down. Dain, who had been trying his best to listening to their every words for the past half hour seem to have finally grown bored. He was leaning against Doom with unfocused eyes. Doom shrugged his arm slightly to shake the boy off and Dain quickly straightened himself, but he turned his gaze longingly to the other busy stores at the market, which didn't go unnoticed by Doom, but he tried to ignore the boy until Dain started to make soft tapping noise on the floor with his feet. Doom put his face in his hand. This was a bad idea after all. Sighing, he took several coins from his pocket and handed it to Dain.

"Go and buy something you like" Doom said. Dain's face immediately brightened with delight and the boy ran off. And Doom thought, as he made his way back later with Dain who was happily nibbling a candied apple, that no matter how mature Dain might seem, a child was a child after all.

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><p><strong>Just something that popped into my head. I'm thinking of adding a few more chapters to this story. Dain is real in here. And sorry for any mistakes. I'm not English.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

It was very, very late into the night, yet Doom was still awake.

At the moment, the leader of the Resistance was lying with his eyes staring blankly at the above, not really registering any image in them. His mind was currently preoccupied with planning a proper course of action for when the sun come up. Everything that happened today was definitely not in their favor.

They were ambushed. Somehow, their traveling road was discovered and they had found themselves face to face with a band of Grey Guards, armed with swords and crossbows. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty. Doom had had eight men with him at the time and three were now dead. Caught off guard, they weren't able to retaliate. All they could do was just splitting off in different directions in order to lose their pursuers after having agreed to find a way to regroup later. Did they all make it? If tomorrow, someone failed to show up at their meeting place, he would be automatically put down as a casualty. That was the rule to ensure the safety of the survivors. It was unlikely that every member of his remaining party escaped unscathed, after all. As for himself, he only managed to grab Dain and ran to this part of the forest. The two of them decided to settle here for the night. If they kept going in the dark, the chance that they would run into some monster was high and besides, they need their rest. They didn't make a fire in case it betrayed their location and he stayed up late to keep watch, but Doom figured he need to sleep soon if he wanted to be fully prepared for anything the next morning.

A soft, muffled sound made Doom turn around. Dain was fast asleep already, but it seemed that even in dream he was still plagued by unpleasant things, for the little boy was thrashing about like he was desperately trying to get away from something horrible, and while his eyes remained closed, his face was having an expression that was a cross between fear and anger. Doom only knew what was troubling the boy all too well. Nightmares. They were what kept him awake for nights right after he fled from the Shadow Arena. He couldn't blame Dain. This must have been a traumatic event for the boy. To see his own comrades drop dead right before his eyes. Moreover, the graze on Dain's cheek that was the work of an arrow that narrowly missed its mark was standing out vividly against the color of his skin. Had that arrow went several inches more to the left, Dain would certainly have been added to the body count. That was enough to shake many average men, let alone a child.

Dain was still tossing and turning around and at this rate, the nightmares would jerk him awake several times during the night. Doom sighed. They needed to be at their full strength tomorrow and to do that, they had to get enough sleep. Doom got up from where he was and sat next to the boy, then gently put his hand onto Dain's arm to stop the boy from shaking.

_"You are getting soft."_ said a voice in the back of his mind. Doom ignored it.

After a while, Dain seemed to have finally calmed down. He lay still and his breathing was no longer quick but returned to normal. Doom waited for a few more moments before deciding to withdraw his hand. But just as he was about to turn away, Dain suddenly grasped Doom's hand and clutched it tightly. Startled by the movement, Doom pulled his hand away but Dain hung onto it as if it was his lifeline. Not wanting to wake the boy up, Doom tried to quietly wriggle his fingers out of the boy's but to no avail. Finally given up, Doom relaxed his arm and stopped pulling it free. Instead, he stayed where he was and watched Dain's sleeping face. Such an innocent and peaceful look. He sighed. Well, maybe a night wouldn't hurt. He retrieved his blanket with his other hand and settled down next to the boy. He had to make sure that he get up first next morning, though. He would never be able to live it down otherwise.

_"You really are getting soft."_ Said the voice, now recognized as his pride.

_"Oh, shut up."_ Doom told it. And with his hand still remained in Dain's hold, he too drifted into sleep.

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><p><strong>How was it?<strong>

**I'll keep this fic going as long as I still have ideas. Then again, I'm rather short on them right now.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm not really sure I've done this right. Please excuse me if I made some mistakes.**

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><p>"Hah!"<p>

"Too slow!"

"Yah!"

"You are leaving too many openings!"

Easily evading the clumsy attacks from the scrawny boy, Doom calmly issued instructions on Dain's fighting form. The two of them was having one of their training sessions with the purpose of making sure that Dain would at least be able to defend himself in battles and not become a burden to others. There was no telling where they might meet the enemies and Dain couldn't count on Doom or members of the Resistance to protect him all the time. Besides, if he was going to stay with them, he might as well make himself useful. They were using wooden sticks in place of real swords, and Doom was starting to teach Dain the basics. The boy fought like all beginners would: charging in headfirst and swung the weapon around wildly, hoping it would find its mark. He had good dexterity and his small body was something that could be used to his advantage, but he had no experience whatsoever. He kept closing his eyes on reflex whenever Doom's stick came too close or tried to stop it with his forearm instead of his own stick. In a real situation, those kinds of mistakes could get him killed. At this rate, Doom might have to leave him in one of the Resistance hideouts instead of dragging him around like he had always done until the boy can hold his own against an opponent. There was a limit to how much risk he could take these days and he wasn't willing to include Dain's safety in it.

Doom deflected yet another of the boy strike and gave him a good jab on the shoulder. Dain lost his balance and fell, but he quickly jumped to his feet to make a new attempt at assaulting. Doom felt a twinge of sadness as he watched the little figure standing up, panting as he looked for an opportunity to hit the older man. What a dark time it was. Doom was sure that if they were in the more peaceful days, children Dain's age would be happily staying with their families without a worry in the world, perhaps helping around the house. Yet here he was, teaching an orphaned boy how to fight, and more than that, to kill. His fighting style mainly aimed for the opponent's vital points, such as the throat, meant to dispatch the enemy quickly and efficiently, without any mercy. If it came down to it, he wouldn't mind resorting to dirty tricks. And Dain was practicing those killing techniques as if his life depended on it. Doom couldn't help but feel a little pity for the boys who had lost so many important things and seen too many blood shed.

One more swing and it was a break with Dain flat on his back, gasping for breath. Doom sat down on a large rock nearby and took something out from his pocket. Wrapped in old cloth, it was something that Doom picked up in his travel several days ago. Doom stared at the object for a while. It was about time Dain got one of these, they were necessary for survival. He looked over at the boy.

"Dain, come here."

Dain obeyed his words instantly, approaching him with an air of curiosity. Once the boy was standing next to him, Doom held out his hand.

"Here."

Dain hesitantly took the item from Doom's palm, held it at eye level and turned to Doom with a questioning gaze. Receiving a nod from the man, Dain slowly took off the wrapping, revealing within a new dagger. His eyes widened, and he looked at it in wonder. He asked for confirmation.

"Is..is this for…me?"

"Yes. Take care of it."

The dagger was nothing fancy; there was no decoration on either the sheath or the hilt. But its blade was sharp and sturdy and would serve its purpose well. Dain had carried the knife he possessed when they first met, but it was in a poor condition: the metal was rusty and likely to snap any moment. Up until now, there hadn't been many opportunities for them to replace it. Dain was grinning, his face that of real joy. He drew his new weapon and tried waving it around, just like a child playing with his new toy. The new knife was just the right size, it fitted the boy well. Bowing down to retrieve his wooden stick as well as hide a smile that slipped on his face, Doom got to his feet.

"So, ready to continue the training?"

With renewed enthusiasm, Dain put away the dagger and nodded eagerly. And after a few strikes, Doom was surprised to find one of Dain's attacks managed to hit him above the hip. Well, it seemed that they were getting somewhere after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Please excuse me if I got something wrong**

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><p>Dain had tagged along yet again to one of Doom's strategy meeting and yet again, he had been assigned as the door guard. He had only received this task once too many time. At first, he had been very excited and taken this job very seriously. After a while, though, he had come to understand the real translation of Doom's order "Keep a lookout" as 'We-have-important-things-to-discuss-and-we-don't- need-a-kid-with-half-an-attention-span-bothering-u s'. Dain had long since realized that if Doom really wanted a guard, he would have chosen an experienced member with decent fighting skill, as he always did when preparing for a battle, which was definitely not Dain. So, the people responsible for security were actually in the building as we speak, and him standing here was serving absolutely no purpose at all. This was Doom's idea of a solution to Dain's refusal to be left behind when he went to something vital. Any complaints Dain had was met with the same response: "If you don't like it, then don't come at all". Dain had grumbled and whined and even sulked for weeks, but when those means yielded no result, he had to give in. Dain had to admit, he didn't understand half of what the Resistance said in those gatherings anyways, he only wanted to participate because it made him feel like he was doing something useful other than running errands. However, standing as a sentry with the instruction of "don't move from this spot" was horrendously boring. Dain paced in a circle again and again, stamping his feet so hard against the ground as he went that it was a wonder his footprints hadn't worn holes in the earth yet. Finally, he sat down heavily and turned to give the house burning glare. Not that it would do him any good, considering the person who was supposed to be on the receiving end of that glare, namely Doom, couldn't possibly see or sense its intensity. He sighed. He might not be old enough to be a man, but he wasn't a little child anymore. Doom had only ever gave him delivery jobs. He knew Doom had his best interest in mind (or at least he think so), but being tasked with mundane work ended up giving him a feeling of helplessness, and he was afraid that somewhere along the way he had become a reliability. Dain didn't want to have to depend so much on other people, no matter what.<p>

So absorbed in his own thoughts and musing about the unfairness of it all, Dain didn't heard the soft sounds of footsteps drawing closer and closer, thus he nearly jumped out of his skin when he glimpsed a moving shadow looming around the left side of the house which faced a dense forest. Hand flying to the hilt of his dagger and grasped it firmly, Dain took several cautious steps in the direction from which, now that he was on full alert, something suspiciously like ragged breaths could be heard. A monster? A spy? Someone waiting to make an ambush? Quickening his pace, Dain reached the turn and swung around sharply.

THUMP.

His arm, the one with the dagger, collided hard with what he could tell was a person. Reflexes kicked in, Dain lunged forward and brought his weapon to the stranger's throat with lightning speed, noting vaguely the somehow too small figure. Having secured the upper hand, he took in for the first time who it was. Immediately, his eyes widened and he staggered back, releasing his would-have-been victim in the process.

The newcomer turned out to be a girl, and by the look of her, she couldn't be any older than six. Her eyes were wide with fear and her face was shining with tear tracks. Her little body was racked with sobs and there were bleeding scratches all over her skin. She was holding her right arm in an odd angle and Dain figured it must be broken. The child seemed to be in a state of hysteria. The moment she saw Dain, she scrambled back in fright, but a split second later she dove for him and latched onto his sleeves with her good arm, pulling him towards the direction from where she came while repeating incoherent sentences in high-pitched voice.

"….attacked….wolfs….friend…..help…."

Dain caught enough of her words to make some sense out of her rambling. It appeared that the girl and her friend was attacked, and she somehow managed to escape, but her companion wasn't so fortunate. How long had this girl been running? By now, it could already be too late. However, if there was still a chance for whoever it was to be saved… Dain glanced back at the house. If he followed the child, Doom was sure to be furious. Even though he wasn't really needed here, it was still his job to stand guard, and to leave would mean he had abandoned his post, which was an unacceptable behavior. He would be severely punished, that he was certain. But if a life was spared in exchange, surely it would be worth it?

The girl was still holding tightly onto Dain, dragging him with all of her little strength. There was no time to waste. He would face Doom's wrath later. For now, he let the child lead him into the dark shade of the trees towards the unknown.

Somewhere around fifteen minutes later, Doom swore.

Dain had disappeared. Having to look for the boy in a middle of a meeting was definitely NOT what Doom had had in his to-do list today. For some reason, Dain was recently determined to accompany him on every kind of trips. He couldn't shrug the boy off no matter how hard he tried, but he had given up the idea of bringing Dain into meetings within the next few years after several attempts. So he assigned Dain the only task he could think of. Dain didn't know, but Doom still checked on him now and again. The boy was nowhere near happy about his duty, Doom could see that, but he still carried it out without any problem. Until now, that was.

Scanning around for any kind of trace, Doom spotted them: marks on the ground that indicated someone running and, sending chill up his spine, patches of trampled grass in the shape of footprints that continued to the edge of the forest. That forest was extremely dangerous. The outer area might look peaceful, but if one wandered deep enough he would reach the territory of the vicious monsters inhabiting the place, and those things wouldn't resist a meal should one came to them. Sheathing his sword, he sprinted after the trail, praying to whoever listening that he would be in time.

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><p><strong>I don't know if anyone's still interested in this since there aren't many views. Internet's super slow where I'm staying right now and it hard for me too post anything, so if there's no response I might just put this story on hold.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Hope this's okay.**

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><p>Unease was beginning to worm its way into Dain's stomach.<p>

He and the girl had been walking, well, running for the better part of the last few hours and still Dain had yet to see their destination. Every stride was taking him further into the increasingly dark interior of the forest where thick tree branches blocked almost all of the sunlight. It was hard to believe that it was just around midday. One of his hands clutched by the girl who was sprinting a few steps ahead of him, the other gripping his dagger firmly, Dain kept his gaze straight while hearing his heart thudding painfully in his chest. He wondered vaguely if Doom'd found out that he was gone. The meeting must have ended some time ago and Doom was probably going ballistic looking for him. Dain winced at the thought. He hadn't been on the receiving end of Doom's fury for a while, but he sure wasn't missing it in the least. The pitch blackness was closing in on him from every direction and it was making him nervous. Every shadow looked like an enemy in hiding, waiting to pounce on him. Every muscle in his body was tense and he tighten his hold on the dagger enough to make his knuckle turn white. This was a really bad idea. He was foolish to have acted on his own. He should have informed Doom. All of his nerves were screaming danger at him as well as begging to turn back and he was horribly tempted to do just that, to just grab the girl and run out of here. Whoever they were coming to rescue had really little to no chance of survival, considering how long it had been since they took off. Even if they did found that person, Dain doubted he could do anything, inexperienced as he was. In later days, whenever he looked back on this moment, he guessed he should have paid more attention to his instinct, although it wouldn't have made much of a difference to the outcome. Right now though, he ignored his senses and pressed on. There was some vital changes he'd failed to notice at that moment. One was that they had slowed down to a near stop. Another was the fact that the girl had switched from leading him to trailing after him. It took him quite a while to realize that his hand had become numb from the girl's grasp, which had become a death grip. Dain turned around. He never remembered having screamed.

A thing about traps: You are likely to be caught before you recognize they were there.

In place of the fragile little girl he had followed here now stood a massive creature, easily five time Dain's height. It didn't even look remotely like a human-or any living beings, for that matter. The thing resembled an enormous, disgusting block of slime, from which protruded a tentacle-like appendage that was wrapped around Dain's wrist. Dain was frozen to the spot as he took in the sight in front of him. He knew what it was. Doom had only drilled the knowledge into his head about hundreds of times before.

An Ol.

A growl from the Ol snapped Dain out of his shocked stupor. With his free arm, he brought down the dagger to liberate his hand and jumped back a few meters. His mind was quickly running through Doom's lectures. What did he say about Ols? _They are shapeshifters._ Right. Very useful. He had already kinda figured that out the hard way. What else? Think! Think!

_An Ol's heart is on its right side, not the left._

That was it! He had to target the heart. However, as he glanced down at the tiny dagger in his hand and compared it with the towering figure in front of him, he really didn't think luck was on his side this time.

He rolled out of the way as the Ol launched an attack, barely missing the tentacle as it slammed into the ground where he was standing on seconds before, leaving a dent from the impact. Dain backed away slowly until his back touched the nearest tree trunk and watched as the Ol advanced on him. When it got near enough, Dain jumped and pushed his feet against the tree with all his might, using the trunk as a leverage to boost his speed and hurtled himself up toward the Ol. He almost managed to get at his goal but of course thing was never that simple. The Ol, sensing his intention, swatted him aside as easily as he would an ant. He landed painfully, star exploding in his vision. It wouldn't work. This was one of the many times that Dain cursed his tiny stature. Struggling to get up, Dain found out that he couldn't. The wretched Ol had grabbed hold of one his leg and was now pulling him in its direction. Dain fought furiously, he kicked out at the Ol, he clawed at the grass in the his frenzy to get away, but all his efforts proved futile as he felt himself being lifted from the ground and hung upside down. He was still holding the dagger, but he could not reach any part of his enemy to make much use out of the weapon. He was flailing helplessly when the Ol flung him like a rag doll across the air. He heard his torso connected with a tree with a heavy thud, felt the breath knocked out of him as he dropped to the ground and his body screamed in agony, saw his sight going white as if he was going blind. Then he watched through blurry vision the shape of the Ol moving in his direction, unable to move as his enemy prepared to finish him off. Dain closed his eyes, bracing himself for the blow.

It never came.

Dain opened his eyes just a fraction before they widened in surprise. Standing with his back to Dain and sword in hand was none other than the resistance leader.

Doom.

Dain didn't realize he had said the name out loud until Doom turned to look at him and their gazes met. Even on the verge of unconsciousness, Dain could make out emotions in the man's stoic eyes that were normally never shown. Something akin to fear and concern. Despite his rough exterior, Doom was still capable of caring about others, though God helped anyone who dared pointing that out to his face. Dain sagged in relief and the last thing he saw before passing out was Doom charging at the Ol with a battle cry.

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><p>For a long time after that particular event, Dain was forbidden from going anywhere outside the hideouts without Doom's direct order and supervision. And that was still nothing compared to some other sentences that Doom had in store for him. The lectures, of course, went on and on until his eardrums were ready to burst. However, Dain received all his punishments without any complaint. Partly because he deserved them, but most importantly, it was because Doom had come for him.<p>

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><p><strong>I'm running out of idea for this fic. Suggestion anyone? Should I write about Dain as he grows into an adult? I was thinking of making this story a prequel to my other Deltora fanfic "Trusted Friendship" but I'm not sure if I should change the plot so that Dain lives or not.<strong>


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